Where’s My Boozer Gone? – The Story So Far

The Geezers have started research on their project Where’s My Boozer Gone?  At this point we are establishing pubs in Bow which have closed in the last 20-30 years.

We have got pictures for most of them which we have posted below.

Do you remember them?  Did you socialise in them?  Did you work in them?

Let us know about it. We are interested in your stories and memories for an exhibition we will be mounting at the Idea Store in the Roman Road and at other venues in the Borough.

We will also be producing a booklet.

Please send us your stories and comments in the Comment section at the bottom of the post or email: bowgeezers@btinternet.com

We are researching pub histories in the Local History and Archive Library in Bancroft Road.

Our next step is to do interviews with people who socialised or worked in the pubs.  How important were they to individuals in the community and to the community as a whole?

Please let us know if you’ve got stories to tell. And we are still looking for pictures for

The Earl of Aberdeen – Grove Road now got this one – thanks to Kevin for sending us this link.

The Horns – LeFevre Road

The Lady Franklin – Old Ford photo now received, see below

The Royal Standard – Eric Street

The Marquis of Cornwallis

The Three Colts or Old Three Colts 450 Old Ford Road

Here’s the pubs we’ve found so far:

Caledonian Arms

Caledonian2

Location of Pub- 62 Fairfield Road

Opened – 1851   Closed – 2000

Brewery? – Watney’s Brewery

What Is It Now? – Residential Use

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

This former Watney’s Brewery pub had been present since at least 1851. It’s just north of the former Bryant & May match factory,  scene of the famous ‘Match Girls’ strike of 1888. The statue of Prime Minister Gladstone is outside Bow Church. Despite the clean-up efforts of the local council, he usually has red hands to symbolise his role in the ending of the strike which was said to have been “paid for in blood”. This pub must have been witness to many of the events of the time. It closed in 2000 and stood derelict for a long time, but has now been converted to residential use.

The Aunt Sally

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Location of Pub- 2 Midlothian Street

Opened – Closed – 2000

Brewery? – Watney’s Brewery

What Is It Now? – Food Outlet

Was it known by any other name?  The Outpost. The Twilight Zone.

The Melody Park Inn.

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?  Karaoke. DJ. Gay Bar.

Information so far

The Ordell Arms

Ordell

Location of Pub- 22 Ordell Road

Opened – ?   Closed – 2001

Brewery? – Courage

What Is It Now? – Residential Flats

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

No hand-pumped beers.

The Hand and Flowers

HandandFlowers

Location of Pub- 72 Parnell Road

Opened – 1881  Closed – 2009

Brewery? – Whitbread

What Is It Now? – Food Outlet

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

This pub was present by 1881 and belonged to the Whitbread Brewery. It ran into problems in 2006 when it was closed on the recommendation of police who said that a seven month surveillance revealed to them that the pub was notorious for “fights, drug-dealing and drunkenness”; this despite always looking completely deserted and harmless whenever I passed by. By 2007 the leasehold was available for £60,000 whilst the pub limped on until final closure in 2009.

The Black Swan

TheBlackSwan

Location of Pub- 148 Bow Road

Opened – 1882  Closed – early 1970’s

Brewery? – Hodgson’s/Smith Garrett Breweries

What Is It Now? – ?

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Black Swan was situated at 148 Bow Road. This pub was present by 1822, at which time it was almost certainly in the ownership of the nearby Hodgson’s Brewery. By 1915 the brewery had become Smith Garrett’s Bow Brewery. On the night of 23 September 1916 this pub was completely destroyed by a direct hit from a bomb dropped by a German Zeppelin in one of the very first ever air raids on London, with the loss of several lives. The Zeppelin itself was later shot down over Essex and the crew surrendered – they are said to have been the only uniformed German troops to have set foot on English soil during the First World War. The pub was rebuilt in 1920, although was from then on said to be haunted by the ghosts of the former landlord’s two daughters who had died in the air raid.   The pub closed and was demolished when Bromley High Street was widened in the early 1970s.

Bombay Grab

BombayGrabBombayGrag2

Location of Pub- 246 Bow Road

Opened – 1805  Closed – early 19792/3

Brewery? – Hodgson’s/Ind Coope Breweries/Freehouse

What Is It Now? – Mosque and Islamic Centre

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Bombay Grab was situated at 246 Bow Road. This pub was present by 1805 and by 1817 had become the brewery tap for Hodgson’s Brewery, which had relocated to an adjacent site. Hodgson’s are of course famous as one of the pioneers of the export by sea of beer to the British colonies in India.  Indeed, the name of the pub is believed to be a corruption of ‘Bombay Gurab’, a kind of Indian coastal vessel which would also have played a part in the export beer trade.  The pub was rebuilt in 1933 when this whole area was redeveloped. After the Second World War, the licensee was James Charles Lane, a former champion weightlifter and wrestler.  By this time the pub was owned by Ind Coope. It became a free house in around 1990 and closed very soon after, in 1992 or 1993.  In these later years the pub had been quite a landmark, with its name painted on its roof in huge white letters, clearly visible from the adjacent Bow Flyover.  The former pub now houses a mosque and an Islamic community centre. The Bombay Grab was the name of a specific ship in the East India Marine.  The publican in 1900 was George Peter Hans, a Bavarian who took British nationality.

The Duke of York

Duke of York

Location of Pub- 129 Anthill Road

Opened – 1869 Closed – 2002

Brewery? – Smith Garrett’s Brewery

What Is It Now? – Private Residential

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Duke Of York was situated 129 Antill Road.  This pub was built in around 1869 and was owned by Smith Garrett’s Brewery of Bow.  It featured some very fine green tiling advertising that brewery’s products, some of which still survive and are almost certainly the best monument to that brewery that can still be seen today.  The pub closed in 2002 and was converted to private residential use.

Moulders Arms

MouldersArmsMouldersArms2

Location of Pub- 50-52 Bromley High Street

Opened – Closed – 2007

Brewery? – ?

What Is It Now? –

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

Facing the pub about 50 to 100 metres to the left was a large house. My grandmother my grandfather my mum and her two brothers lived in this house from 1908 to 1914. There were about twelve rooms in this house and every room had a family. On the ground floor was one toilet which everyone in house had to use, but also, The Moulders arms clientele had to use it because the pub had no toilet. ( the good old days ) My mum told me that every weekend there was a continuous queue of people from the pub going past there room, relieving themselves in the one toilet whilst sing at top note for every ones enjoyment.

The Ancient Briton

The AncientBritonTheAncientBriton2

Location of Pub- 44a Glaucous Street

Opened – 1855  Closed – 2005

Brewery? – Charrington’s Brewery

What Is It Now? –  Residential Apartments

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information So Far

The Ancient Briton was situated at 44a Glaucous Street. This pub was built in 1855 when Glaucous Street was first developed. By the twentieth century it was a Charrington’s Brewery pub. It closed in 2005 and was demolished in 2007, with flats being built on the site.

The Crystal Tavern

The Crystasl Tavern

Location of Pub- 25 Burdett Road

Opened – 1880  Closed – 1995

Brewery? – Taylor Walker Brewery

What Is It Now? –  Residential Use

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Crystal Tavern was situated 25 Burdett Road.  This was a Taylor Walker Brewery pub, established in around 1880. It closed and was converted to residential use in around 1995 and was demolished in 2010.

The King’s Head

KingsHead2

Location of Pub- 8 Bow Road

Opened – 1885  Closed – 1970’s

Brewery? – ?

What Is It Now? –  Demolished with strip of shops

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Kings Head was situated at 8 Bow Road. The publican in 1885 was George Kemp. The pub was demolished, along with the strip of shops fronting on to Bow Road, between    British and Merchant Streets, in the 1970’s.

Lady Franklin

Lady Franklin Old Ford Road 1969

Location of Pub- 381 Old Ford Road

Opened – 1861  Closed – 1969

Brewery? – 

What Is It Now? – Residential Flats above Commercial Premises

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

Many thanks to Richard Cole for sending us the photo of the Lady Franklin. Richard said: “The old boy standing outside was the one armed paper seller George, he lived in Parnell Road a few doors down from the pub. In the six years we lived there come what may winter or summer rain or shine  I never saw him wear an overcoat or take his jacket and cap off. My parents were the last tenants, this photo must have been taken just after they closed the pub down ready for demolition, I would think ‘68/69.”

The Tenterden Arms

TENTERDEN ARMS

Location of Pub- 22 Devons Road

Opened – 1869  Closed – 2007

Brewery? – Truman’s Brewery

What Is It Now? – Residential Flats above Commercial Premises

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Three Tuns

The Three Tuns

Location of Pub- 185 Bow Road

Opened – 1823  Closed – 1999

Brewery? – Hodgson’s/Whitbnread Breweries

What Is It Now? – Residential Flats above Commercial Premises

Was it known by any other name?  Ye Olde Three Tuns

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Three Tuns was situated at 185 Bow Road.  This pub was present on what was then Bow High Street in 1823, at which time it was owned by the Hodgson’s Brewery of Bow. By the late twentieth century it was a Whitbread Brewery pub, popular enough to be enlarged into the neighbouring premises in 1985, and in its latter years it affected the name Ye Olde Three Tuns. But in 1999 it closed and was converted into residential use.

Bromley Arms

BROMLEY ARMS DERELICTBROMLEY ARMS 2 DERELICT

Location of Pub- 51 Fairfield Road

Opened?    ?     Closed – 2005

Brewery? – Watney’s/Shepherd Neame Breweries

What Is It Now? – Residential

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

The Bromley Arms was situated at 51 Fairfield Road.  This pub was present by 1861 and closed in 1997.  It had been a Watney’s Brewery pub until 1989, when it was purchased by the Shepherd Neame Brewery of Faversham, Kent.  It stood derelict for a while after closure, until converted to residential use in 2005.

Morpeth Castle

Morpeth-1920MORPETH CASTLE 2006

Location of Pub- 69 Cadogan Terrace E9

Opened?  1860     Closed – 1990

Brewery? – Truman’s Brewery

What Is It Now? – Residential

Was it known by any other name?  Manhattan’s/Butlers

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

 Information so far

The Morpeth Castle was situated at 69 Cadogan Terrace. This pub was established by 1860. It was a Truman’s Brewery pub and still exhibits some brewery signage. Although at the time still owned by Truman’s, by 1983 the pub had been renamed Manhattan’s. By 1986 the name had been changed to Butlers, and the pub closed in 1990. By 1992 it had been converted to residential use.

Bridge House

BRIDGE HOUSE 14 BOW COMMON LANE

Location of Pub- 14 Bow Common Lane

Opened?  1878     Closed – 2000

Brewery? – Watney’s/Bellhaqven Breweries/ Freehouse

What Is It Now? – Residential

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

 Information so far

The Bridge House was situated at 14 Bow Common Lane. This pub was present by 1878. It was a Watney’s Brewery pub until around 1990 when it was sold to Belhaven. The pub closed in 2000, after a final short period as a free house, and has been converted to residential use.

The Earl of Ellesmere

EARL OF ELLESMERE

Location of Pub- 19 Chisenhale Road

Opened?  1866     Closed – 2001

Brewery? – Taylor Walker/Godson’s Breweries

What Is It Now? – Residential

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?   Music and Dancing

 Information so far

The Earl Of Ellesmere was situated 19 Chisenhale Road. This pub was present by 1866, at which time it obtained a licence for music and dancing. It was a Taylor Walker Brewery pub, although by the 1980s it stood opposite the modern-day Godson’s Brewery. It closed and was converted to residential use in 2001.

The John Bull

JohnBull-1987JOHN BULL NOW

Location of Pub- 490 Roman Road

Opened?  1850     Closed – 1996

Brewery? – Taylor Walker Brewery

What Is It Now? – Estate Agents

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?   Music and Dancing

 Information so far

The John Bull was situated at 490 Roman Road. This pub has stood on Roman Road since at least 1850. It was a Taylor Walker Brewery pub and, despite always seeming busy, it closed in 1996. The premises now serve as an estate agent’s offices.

The Needle Gun

NeedleGunNeedleGun2014

Location of Pub- 215, then 527 Roman Road

Opened?  1828    Closed – 2011

Brewery? – ?

What Is It Now? – Hotel

Was it known by any other name?  The Trader

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

 Information so far

The Needle Gun was at 215 Roman Road but it later became 527 Roman Road through road renumbering.  The pub was established in 1828 and in recent years was renamed the Trader (2007).   By 2011 the pub had become a hotel .

The Lord Palmerston

LORD PARMESTON

Location of Pub- 45 Hewlett Road, Old Ford Road

Opened?  1866    Closed – 2002

Brewery? – Charrington’s

What Is It Now? – Residential

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

 Information so far

The Lord Palmerston was situated 45 Hewlett Road. This was a quiet, backstreet Charrington’s Brewery pub, established by 1866. It closed in 2002 and has been converted to residential use.

Top O’The Morning

TOP O THE MORNING

Location of Pub- 62 Frances Terrace, Wick Lane then 129Cadogan Terrace E9

Opened?  1864    Closed – 2013

Brewery? – ?

What Is It Now? – ?

Was it known by any other name?   Mitford Castle

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

 Information so far

Mitford Castle The pub was present by 1864 at 62 Frances Terrace, Wick Lane in 1878.  Later address is at 129 Cadogan Terrace.  It had been named Top O’ The Morning since at least 1983.  Closed as a Pub by 2013, although possibly earlier.

The Matchmaker

MATCH MAKER

Location of Pub- 580-586 Roman Road

Opened?  ?   Closed – 2010

Brewery? – Freehouse (Wetherspoons)

What Is It Now? – Poundland

Was it known by any other name?

What Activities Did Pub Used To Have?

Information so far

109 Comments

  1. Hi,

    My Wife’s uncle called Freddie’s used to own the Lady Franklin, but it was called “The Aberdeen”, there used to be a band of “Gay Entertainers” who would put on a nightly show, when we went to visit Freddie’s Mum and Wife we would sit in the bar to watch the acts, it used to get very crowded becsuse they were good ( slightly risqué) but very funny

    1. The Aberdeen pub & the Lady franklin were 2 very different pubs. Aberdeen on the corner of Old Ford Rd & Burdett Rd, later became v much a more vibrant gaye community establishment I am told. The lady franklin was at the terminus of the Number 8 bus route, corner of Old Ford rd & Parnell Rd.
      I lived in Old Ford 1940s…. mid 1950s when the Candy Street & subsequent surrounding roads were scheduled for re-development. The one armed paper seller who stood outside the LF for many years was a member of the Norton family who also had a newsagent shop on opposite side of the road next to the bakers.

    2. Burdett Road does not have a corner with Old Ford Road. Burdett Road finishes at it’s junction with Mile End Road. The corner in question is with Grove Road & Old Ford Road.

    3. I stand corrected, a senior moment I fear , at 83 I am entitled to a few I think.
      Yes Grove Road of course.
      Still nothing here on my question about the BAYTREE PUB, corner of Roman Road, Medway Road, probably another long gone. This was my grandfather’s local pub, he was a member of their darts team in the 1940s/50s. I have here the medals he won, all supported by long gone breweries like Taylor Walker, plus County National darts team medal supported by the PEOPLE newspaper,

    4. Hi All,

      I stand corrected, I lived in Stafford road off of Roman Road, for 20 years, and like Ken Perkins, I too am a young 84 years old, but the memory fades a bit, the photographs of the Lady Franklin and the Aberdeen are similar, so in my absence from Bow I thought the new owners long ago had changed the name but now recognise they are not the same pubs, I live in the hills of North Wales now and have not been back to Bow for about 40 years, so please forgive my memory lapse, I used to help my Aunt Alice Johnson run two Green Grocery stalls in the Roman, but moved to Dagenham when they knocked the houses down in Stafford Road, decimated the close neighbourhood but the houses were very old

  2. what happened to THE BAYTREE pub corner of Medway Road/ Roman Road. this was my grandparent’s watering hole for many years when i was growing up as a child. I often sat outside with a bag of crisps & lemonade.. mid-1940s era.
    The LADY FRANKLIN pub was the terminus bus stop for the number 8 bus route . When my dad returned to England from POW camp Italy 1944, he telephoned the then licenced publican who took the message of his return to these shores ,to,my mother & gran in their home in Candy Street, very few families had home phones in those days….Candy St now part of the Locton estate.

  3. Do you need a picture of the Lady Franklin. ? ..my parents were the last tenants , I’ve been looking for a picture for years and in a conversation with my son today about my time in bow he chirps up with “I have a picture of grandads pub “ …?

  4. My father-in-law Bob McCarthy was the landlord of The Black Swan 148 Bow Road in the early seventies. It was a proper east end pub with a lively atmosphere and colurful clientele. I met my wife here who was the barmaid, after chatting her up and asking if I could take her home, she replied she was already home, she was Bob’s daughter and lived there.
    Bob went on to be the landlord of The Earl of Ellesmere 36 Ellesmere street Poplar, another fantastic pub, sadly demolished like the swan replaced by unsightly mundane flats, progress I think they call it.
    Would love to hear some memories of any punters that used both pubs and desperate to find any photos, which seem to be rare to find. All the best.

    1. Hi David , my old father in law Bill Clark and his brother in law John Walsh lived and died in that pub ..Bill was a coal man and most nights after work that was his watering hole …my parents where the last licencces of the Lady Franklin , on the corner of old Ford and Parnell road ..

    2. In 1968 we were invited to celebrate a friend’s birthday at The Black Swan, Mile End Road. We found a table, ordered a drink and us girls went to the loo. There was a locked door there with frosted glass behind which we could just about detect movement. Strange! After awhile in the bar we were invited to go downstairs to the basement where there were long wooden benches either side of a long raised walkway. The lights were lowered and we still didn’t know why!! We soon found out – It was an amazing drag show which walked up and down the length of the walkway in front of us, quite suggestive and vulgar with coloured bulbs which sometimes lit up incorporated into costumes, but once you got used to it, fascinating to appreciate the extreme make-up and costumes! Ah, that explains what was behind the frosted glass – it was the performer’s changing room! I have never forgotten that night! So sad to read that it was demolished just 2 years later in 1970.

  5. Hi can anyone help me. I’m looking for info on The Lord Raglen Midlothian road. My nan and grandad were the public and in the 60’s n 1966 when my parents got married they also lived there. I’d love to be able to get my mum a picture but am struggling to find anything.
    TIA

    1. Hello Sara,
      There are loads of Derelict East End Pub sites, but I could not find anything either unfortunately, all it said was Demolished, so your best bet is to post on this page to see if anybody has a photograph they can share with you because as I am sure that you discovered the pub is listed on the websites but sadly no photographs.

      Best of luck sorry to not be able to help you myself.

      Barrie
      The Geezers Club

    2. Dear Sara
      I have been looking for a photograph myself as my surviving grandparents lived across the road at no 18 and 22 until the street was demolished c1971. The name of the Raglan was often spoken of by my parents as they often ended up there after family events in the 50s and 60.

  6. Our family used to have great nights in the Tuns . At that time during the 60’s and and seventies it was owned by Pat and Tommy Sands … .Maureen and Terry took over from them..
    Great characters used to drink in there .. including my uncle Len Booty, his mate Joe , Johnny Glass and Jimmy the Barber … Jimmy went on to run the Earl Grey and the Marquis of Cornwallis in Bethnal Green.
    Good memories of those times .

  7. Hello. Anybody know about a pub called the Lady Coborn which was apparently on Old Ford Road, number 740. Which I think is now Wick Lane. I suspect it went during or after the last war. Any information gratefully received.

    1. Hi Annie, thanks for writing in. I can’t see it on Old Ford Road in the 1930s street directories. But I did find a Coborn Wharf just south of the railway, east of the bus garage in 1939. The pub next door was called the Five Bells then. Everything changed when the A102M was built to the Blackwall Tunnel in the late 1960s obliterating this area.

      I also found a Lady Franklin between Usher and Parnell Roads at 381 Old Ford Road.

    1. Hi Vic Alvin Martin was and still is a great friend of ours he always popped in occasionally as did Trevor Brooking and most of the West Ham players. The outside photo of The Tuns does now way give justice to the inside once we refurbished it. Great times and wonderful customers

    1. Hi Robert,

      This is a website rather than a social media site. We get people trying to post scams and rubbish from all around the world. Some of it’s from Russia, in Russian, others look like arabic. I’ll email you directly so you can send me stuff. You can post directly to the Where’s my boozer gone? Facebook group.

      Alan T

  8. In the 1970’s I lived with my wife and children at 26 Zealand Road just around the corner from the Earl of Ellsmere. The landlord was Bob Ward senior, his son Bob junior being the drummer with the punk band Subway Sect. The pub was hugely successful in those days and for a couple of years I used to play guitar and sing there on Saturday nights. The clientel was a mix of black, white, villains and families and the atmosphere was always electric, noisy, smokey accompanied by the crash of the public bar pool table balls, the shouting of the darts scoring and the general hub bub of a busy East End pub. Those days are now long gone, society and public entertainment and the insanity of today’s politically correct snowflakes have ensured that. It was a great pub and the 1970’s were a great time to have shared in that timely culture.

    1. Hi John, can I ask you to contact Vic from Subway Sect, we are putting together a newsletter with some anecdotes about Bob Ward Jnr. and would love to use this if that is ok with you, cheers, Mandy

  9. my mum lily may fey lived at number 1 rippoth road from 5yrs old to 15yrs when her father died she moved out.her brother was joe fey.she lived there from 1925 to1935.

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